When I Use Flash and When I Prefer Ambient Light for New Orleans Weddings, Events, and Portraits

The light, the location, and the pace of a session all shape how I work. Here’s when I bring out my Profoto lighting and when I prefer the available light for a New Orleans wedding, event, or portrait photography session.

I don’t approach a New Orleans wedding or portrait session with a rule that everything needs flash, or that available light is always better. Having 30+ years of experience with lighting my subjects gives me the option to use both, unlike someone who was just starting out who doesn't understand auxiliary lighting and identifies themselves as "natural light photographers". What happens to those photographers when it suddenly gets cloudy or too sunny/harshly lit out? I look at the light on the person, the light behind them, and how much we need to move. Sometimes the simplest setup is the right one. Other times, adding light is what lets me keep both a face and the setting properly exposed.

For a simple, one-on-one portrait session in the French Quarter, I often prefer ambient light during the final hour before sunset. If our route is entirely in shade and the light is soft and even, there may be no reason to bring a strobe into the picture. I can work with the light already falling between the buildings, make small adjustments to where someone stands, and keep the session portable.

That portability matters on French Quarter sidewalks. Without a lighting stand and modifier to reposition, we can move easily, leave room for pedestrians, and stop when we find a good background. I’m still paying close attention to the direction of the light. Shade isn’t automatically good portrait light; turning someone toward a brighter opening in the street can make a noticeable difference in their eyes and expression.

New Orleans City Park can offer the same opportunity about an hour before sunset. When we’re working in open shade and the background isn’t dramatically brighter than the person, ambient light can be all we need. The oak canopy gives us options, but I still check what’s beyond it. A shaded face with a bright patch of sky or sunlit lawn behind it presents a different problem from a scene that’s evenly shaded throughout.

When bright sunlight is part of the scene, especially in the middle of the day, I use my Profoto lighting to balance the subject with the background. I use top-of-the-line Profoto equipment with modifiers including softboxes and three- and four-foot octagonal modifiers, often called Octas. Those modifiers help me control the spread and softness of the light rather than simply making the person brighter.

The exposure problem is straightforward. If someone is standing in shade with a sunlit background, increasing the exposure enough to brighten their face can wash out the background. Their skin may look reasonably exposed, but the detail and color behind them can disappear. That’s a common result when a photographer relies on overall exposure alone instead of understanding how to add light. It isn’t the balance I want for my photographs.

Instead, I set an exposure that holds the background where I want it, then add enough strobe light to bring the person into balance. The goal isn’t to make the lighting announce itself. It’s to keep the person looking natural while preserving the setting we chose. If we’re making a portrait in New Orleans, I want the surroundings to remain part of the photograph, not turn into a bright, empty area.

At weddings, these decisions happen repeatedly. We might move from a getting-ready room to a ceremony space, then outside for portraits and into a reception venue. Each location asks for a fresh assessment. I also work within the ceremony’s flash rules and consider how lighting equipment fits the space. More than 30 years of photographing here has taught me to adapt rather than expect one setup to work all day.

For portrait planning, I recommend discussing timing and location together. The hour before sunset is often useful, but buildings, tree cover, and the direction we’re facing matter as much as the clock. If midday is the only time available, we can plan for supplemental lighting. Whether I’m photographing a wedding, an event, or one person, I choose the approach that suits the actual light and keeps attention on the people.